Summit in Brussels: ASEAN – for the EU an alternative to China?

The heads of state and government of the EU and the ASEAN countries are meeting in Brussels for the first time. The EU hopes for closer economic relations – also as an alternative to China.

On Tuesday, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be standing in the port of Kiel, wrapped in thick coats, to celebratory music and wrapped in thick coats. They christen two submarines for Singapore’s Navy. “Be it security policy, climate protection or innovation. We have economic and geopolitical interests in common,” explains Scholz, who was in Singapore for an economic conference just a few weeks ago.

First Summit

The two heads of government shake hands, framed by the flags of Germany, Singapore and the EU. There, in Brussels, they see each other again today. The heads of state and government of the European Union and the ASEAN countries are meeting today for the first time.

The main issues are climate protection, security and trade, explained the EU ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian States in Jakarta a few days ago: “Our countries are on opposite parts of the globe. But we are very connected. We are each other’s third-largest trading partners. But it there’s still a lot of untapped potential.”

EU dependent on ASEAN

Germany and the EU already have close ties with Singapore, the small country in the tropics. There is even a free trade agreement. The same applies to Vietnam, explains Frederick Kliem, a political scientist at a foreign policy research institute in Singapore. Although Vietnam is not a democracy but a socialist one-party dictatorship, it was possible for the EU to sign a free trade agreement. “At the same time, in the same year, Cambodia was accused of trampling on democratic principles. Here in the region, it has arrived in such a way that the EU has double standards. And that’s not particularly helpful.”

The EU is dependent on the ASEAN countries for this. Through them, the EU could become more independent of China and diversify its supply chains. Economics Minister Habeck just expressed this wish during his visit to Singapore. “It was always China and then something else. That means the biggest challenge is to promote or build an alternative politically.”

EU invests in ASEAN

For example, relations with Indonesia, Vietnam or Thailand. But negotiations on a free trade agreement with ASEAN – the association of Southeast Asian countries – are currently on hold. The EU is still investing a lot of money in the association. For example in the fight against pandemics, the training of customs officials or the universities. The region is growing rapidly and has a young population.

For the ASEAN countries, however, the EU is not the same focus, says political scientist Kliem. “It has to be said that the USA and China are more important for ASEAN. In terms of security policy, the USA and China are more important. And in the case of China, of course, China plays a much larger economic role in the region.” With today’s EU-ASEAN summit, the EU states also want to strengthen their importance in the region.